Lost in the Woods
by Machiavan5757
Summary: A weekend of paradise or a weekend of pure torture? This question is on the minds of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Tikal, Rouge, Amy, and Cream as they venture to Lake Tomahawk for a camping trip. Lots of fun ensues and love blooms for some characters.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, everyone. Here is the first story out of two that I have written during Expectations when I got stuck. This poor story has been waiting very patiently in my notebook for a long time and I'm finally ready to show it to all of you. This is my first group story of the Sonic gang. It contains mainly old-school characters. Not comic series old, but like Sonic Adventure 2 old. So sorry to fans of character like Silver or Blaze. I was seriously considering to put them in here, but I really don't know much about their personalities to write about them. Anyways, I'll stop blabbing on and I'll get on with the story. Here it is, "Lost in the Woods". Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. They rightfully belong to Sega.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Sonic the Hedgehog lifted the last duffel bag into the back of the giant van parked right outside of his and Tails Prowler's house. The exhausted blue hedgehog slumped against the side of the van and wiped his sweaty brow. For being the fastest thing on Earth, his muscle strength certainly didn't match it.

"You okay over there?" Tails yelled over to him as he carried his laptop case over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm cool. I swear Amy's got bricks in her suitcase. That thing was freaking heavy."

Tails set his laptop in the back, "That's how it usually is with girls. They always manage to have the heaviest bags."

Then a shrill high pitched voice came from behind them, Amy Rose was skipping towards them. As soon as she reached them, she latched onto Sonic's arm, "Were you just talking about me, sugar muffin?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I was just saying that-," then something struck him, "wait….sugar muffin?

Amy nodded. "It's my new nickname for you."

"What?"

"While I was inside, I was thinking about how over the course of the next three days your older nickname, Sonikuu, might get old. So I was looking up new terms of endearment for you."

Sonic groaned, "Oh, god."

"Yeah. I could call you sugar muffin, snuggle monkey, or cutie tootie. Which one do you like the best?"

"Can't you just call me Sonic?"

"No silly, that name would definitely not be a term that shows you my endearment towards you. I like the muffin one the best."

Tails snickered and Sonic grumbled.

Amy pretended not to notice, she looked off towards the distance and sighed dramatically, "Oh muffin, this will be so much fun. We can spend nights at the lake, snuggle up together by the fire, and take a moonlit walk in the woods,"

She squeezed his arm and squealed, "….this is going to be so freaking romantic. I gotta go write those things down in my journal so I won't forget when we get there."

She blew a kiss to Sonic, "Be right back, sugar muffin." Then jogged back towards Sonic and Tails' house.

Sonic fell back against the side of the van and scowled, "I must have been out of my freakin mind when I decided to go on this camping trip especially with her."

Tails was wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes, "Ah, I tell ya, that just never gets old."

Sonic smirked, "Oh, just wait until Cream starts calling you're her apple dumpling or something."

Tails' cheeks burned a bright pink color, "Cream would never do that and besides we're just friends." he said.

Sonic just shook his head at the bashful fox. Everyone knew that Tails had a crush on Cream and vice versa.

He glanced down at this watch and groaned, "What's taking everyone? We need to get a move on,"

Sonic and Tails had come up with the idea of taking a vacation with the gang awhile back. They had invited Amy, Cream, Tikal (one of Knuckles' cousins), Knuckles, Rouge, and Shadow, which was the hardest address to find. It seemed like everyone was always busy. Rouge was busy with running her club, Tikal and Knuckles had their business on Angel Island, and Shadow never answered to their invitations until one day, they received a call from a scruffy growling voice that agreed reluctantly to finally go. Their destination? The camping grounds at Lake Tomahawk.

"They're coming," Tails said, "Shadow's taking a taxi, Vanilla is driving Cream over. Tikal and Rouge are both taking bus."

"Wait, that leaves out someone," Sonic mentally counted all the names in his head, "How is Knucklehead getting here?"

Tails looked at Sonic, "Uh, wasn't that your responsibility?"

Sonic slapped his forehead with his palm, "Was it? Oh shit. I'll be right back then."

Before Tails could say another word, Sonic took off in a flash of blue down the path towards the direction of the secret passage way to get to Angel Island.

* * *

The hot sun of the afternoon made the forest surrounding the altar of the Master Emerald come to life. The bees and hummingbirds darted from flower to flower sucking up its sweet nectar then fluttered their quick and silent wings to the next patch. It seemed like all the living creatures on Angel Island was active and energetic. All except one.

Knuckles the Echidna was leaning against one of the large stone pillars, his eyelids falling heavy over his eyes, but somehow he managed to keep them slightly open. It was almost like he was sleeping with his eyes open. A skill he had learned to master while he was guardian of the giant emerald jewel that kept his precious island from falling straight into the ocean below.

Usually, there was no other life besides the insects and small birds that lived between the bushes and lush greenery in the woods right next the altar. Today was different. Knuckles' cat nap was short when the bushes shuttered and someone came crashing through them and up to the altar.

Knuckles opened his eyes and jumped up immediately to see this interloper to his island.

He lowered his fist when he saw Sonic the Hedgehog standing on the bottom of the steps.

"Hiya, Knuckles!" Sonic greeted cheerfully waving up towards him.

"Hey Sonic," the echidna said, "What are you doing here?"

"I know that I'm late but I was hoping you wouldn't mind too much."

Knuckles was puzzled, "Late for what?"

"Um, I was supposed to come pick you up for the big camping trip today. Remember?"

Knuckles mentally slapped himself. _Of course! How could he forget?_ A couple of weeks ago Sonic and Tails had paid him a visit to ask him about some trip to this Lake Whatever. It didn't really matter to Knuckles because he already knew that no way in hell was he going to go.

Knuckles rubbed the back of his head and pretended to look sheepish, "Oh, um…..about that, yeah. I can't go."

Sonic's jaw dropped, "What?! Why not? You agreed to do it back when we asked you. "

"I would never agree to something like that. Come on, you know that."

Sonic walked up a couple steps towards the echidna, "Knuckles, I know you did. You probably just forgot. But you promised."

Knuckles frowned and folded his arms over his chest, "Well, I'm sorry but I guess I'm going to have to break that promise, which I still doubt that I made in the first place."

"C'mon!" Sonic said, getting frustrated, "Can't you take a break from this dumb thing once?"

"Don't call it dumb." Knuckles growled.

"What? Can it hear me or something? Are your dead ancestors gonna pop out of it and attack me?"

"I wouldn't tempt it if I were you."

"Just come with us Knuckles. Please?"

Knuckles nodded at the emerald, "Who would watch the emerald if I did?"

Sonic shrugged, "I dunno, can't you get some village kids to watch it?"

"Yeah right, like kids would have the attention span to sit around all day and watch it."

"No one has than long of an attention span." Sonic muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," There was a short pause as Sonic sighed deeply thinking of ways to convince his friend but he knew it was almost hopeless, "I still think you could come." he said quietly.

"No, Sonic," Knuckles said firmly, "Not this time."

"There is never going to be a time for you Knuckles!" Sonic yelled in anger, "You're just gonna keep on turning us down like always, then eventually your going to rot away to nothing on these goddamn steps."

"It's my life purpose," Knuckles shot back, "Besides why would you care so much?"

"Because you're my bud! And honestly, I'm worried about you. Tails and I haven't seen you in weeks, no wait…actually it's probably been a month or so."

Knuckles said nothing and turn his head away pretending to be interested in the small honeybee that just landed on top of the master emerald.

"Look," Sonic said, backing away down the steps, "I can't force you to come, even though you did agree to….but just trust me when I say you really need this vacation."

The honeybee circled around Knuckles' head once before flying away and Knuckles still didn't respond.

Sonic frowned and turn his back on his persistently stubborn friend, "Whatever," He called out to the silent echidna, "I guess I'll see you in the next decade……hell, if I'm that lucky." Then he left.

Knuckles sat back down on the top step watching the place where Sonic had been standing and let out a huge sigh.

It wasn't like he enjoyed turning away friends but the master emerald always came first. No matter how much his conscious screamed and yelled at him to agree to go out and have fun. His loyalty to his ancestors was always stronger.

The honest truth was that he did promise to Sonic and Tails that day to go. It started as a huge argument that lasted for two hours, then to settle the whole debate, Knuckles lied and admitted that he was going to make the trip.

He sat in silence, replaying the whole scene that had just happened before him.

Then, for some crazy reason (maybe it was because of the bright sunlight and sudden burst of life around him), the guilt had overwhelmed him so much that, just 15 minutes after Sonic's departure, that he decided that he was going to do the right thing and go camping.

--

_Soooooo, what does everyone think so far? I hope you all like it. It's kinda crazy to put up a story about camping trips in the winter. But, oh well. I couldn't wait until Spring or Summer. I'm pretty much finished with the whole story but I still have to type them up. Anyways, leave me your opinons. I wanna hear them! _

_-Machiavan5757_


	2. Chapter 2

_The beginning of this story is gonna give me fits I swear....ugh. This chapter had my head spinning. But don't worry, the rest of this story is all planned out and will be a lot more interesting. _

_Anyways, _

_Enjoy chapter 2!_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

A yellow cab pulled up next to the curb and the driver in the front seat tipped his baseball cap so he could see where he was dropping off his customer.

"Is this the place?" he asked.

The ebony hedgehog that the cabbie was talking to looked out the window and scanned around the residence until he finally saw that familiar blue hedgehog leaning against a large rusty van. A two-tailed fox joined him and they were talking.

Shadow the hedgehog nodded, "Yes, it is."

The cabbie squinted at the blue hedgehog, "Is that the famous Sonic?"

Shadow averted his eyes away from the window, "Unfortunately," he grumbled. He reached across the seats for his suitcases.

"Ahem," the cabbie held out his open palm.

Shadow glared at him. He believed that the fee should be reduced at least 25% for the cabbie's terrible BO, maybe even 5% extra for trying to cover up with pinecone air fresheners.

He grabbed a wad of money from his back pocket and peeled off a couple twenties.

"Here," he pressed them into the cabbie's hand, "I hope it goes towards something legal."

The cabbie chuckled, flipping through the bills, "With time these difficult, I can't make you any promises."  
_These druggies_, Shadow thought, rolling his eyes. _They're all the same. When times are hard, they'd rather sit on their asses and get high rather than actually being efficient._

In his few months since starting at GUN, Shadow had already dealt with plenty of thugs and potheads. Mobius was crawling with them; you just needed to know the right place to look.

After Shadow's fall-that was thought to be fatal by many- he made a successful and mysterious recovery. He was never the same after that. He had no memory of anything that happened on ARK or before in his life with Maria. He ended up in Mobius and was just wandering down the street when government officials recognized him on the spot. They brought him back to headquarters and after a few words and agreements; they hired Shadow, particularly for his special powers and abilities.

One day, he ran into Amy Rose. She squealed and nearly fainted when she saw him and Shadow was freaked out because he couldn't remember her at all. She talked to him about ARK and tried to help him remember everyone from the gang. Sonic AKA the "faker" who he had become friends with; Tails, the brainy assistant; Knuckles, the loner echidna with a strong backbone; Rouge, the flirty bat who "supposedly" helped he and Dr. Eggman. As Amy talked on, it all eventually came back, piece by piece.

Several weeks after running into her, he got a call from Sonic. He refused to answer for the first 6 or 7 times but finally answered the 8th. He had never been camping but the government granted him a couple days off and his boss encouraged him to go.

"Go get some fresh air," the boss had said, "It'll do you good, Agent."

This was the same thing his therapist told him. Yes, Shadow the Hedgehog now was a weekly patient of a therapist. But this was not on his own accord. The government stepped in to help him get over his traumatic accident. He took regular doses of antidepressants everyday and even medicine they give to people with symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Sonic looked over at the taxi and his eyes widened as they landed on Shadow.

"Looks like you've been spotted," the cabbie chuckled. "I guess there's no turning back now."

Shadow didn't say anything and stepped out of the car with his bags.

"Good luck," the cabbie called out to him then sped away from the curb.

All three stood there a moment, letting silence fill the air between them. Just as Sonic went to take a step forward, a shrill scream came from behind them.

"Shadow!!!" Amy squealed, "You're here!"

She ran past Sonic and Tails and threw herself into his arms. Shadow was taken aback and half-heartily returned the hug.

"I'm so glad you came!" she said.

That makes one of us, Shadow thought.

"Wassup Shad?" Sonic said casually, "It's been………..awhile."

"How did you-" Tails began but Sonic knew at once what the fox was going to ask and cut him off. He figured it was just better to not ask about the fact that Shadow was supposed to be dead.

"So, Amy told us you worked for GUN now." He said.

"How long have you been alive? Oof." Tails received an elbow to his side, "I mean, working for GUN?" he corrected, glaring at Sonic.

"Um…." Shadow began, "I don't…"

"Don't worry," Amy interrupted, "You don't have to answer that. Just go ahead and toss your bags in the back of the van."

"Okay," Shadow eyed them cautiously, feeling somewhat relieved.

As he disappeared behind the back of the van, Sonic turned to Tails, "What is wrong with you? Do you wanna lose another guest?"

Tails looked down at his shoes, "No, I just thought that he might want to talk about it. After all, we all thought he was dead until Amy told us he was alive."

"Let's just drop it for now." Sonic said.

Amy and Tails nodded in agreement.

"Look!" Amy suddenly said, "I think I see Tikal and Rouge coming."

The bus stop that had dropped the two girls off was a little ways up the street so it required a little bit of walking getting to Sonic's house.

But Amy was right. Two figures were coming down the sidewalk. One was carrying a brown suitcase on her shoulder. She was an echidna with rosy dreadlocks with a little peach tint in them that reached down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a tanktop and jean skirt with lots of beads around her wrists and neck. That was Tikal.

Next to her was a more voluptuous figure pulling a large suitcase behind her with a second bag hanging off her shoulder. It was Rouge the Bat, but she was no longer wearing her tight leather stealth suit. Instead she was dressed in a romper and jeweled sandals that laced up her calves.

The two were chatting quietly to each other like old friends. They had bonded well during the time on the bus.

When they finally approached Sonic, Tails, and Amy they all exchanged polite greetings. Tikal seemed to know the three well because they all instantly started a casual conversation. Rouge kept quiet because she really didn't know too much about Sonic, Tails, or Amy. They hadn't spent much time together on ARK, but the one person she interacted with the most from "their" side was Knuckles.

She was actually looking forward to seeing the guardian especially after their episode over the lava pit. Instantly her stomach fluttered thinking about that. She felt angry at herself at once for feeling that way and forced herself to shake off the feeling.

Sonic turned to Rouge, "There's someone here that I think you'll be very excited to see," he told her.

He was looking slightly past her at the figure that was coming up behind her.

Expecting to see the echidna, Rouge spun around slowly, preparing to say something sarcastic but was immediately shocked to see Shadow standing there instead.

The bag on her shoulder fell to the ground, "Oh my god. It's you!"

She began to smile and she grabbed his shoulders, "It's actually you! You're alive!" she pulled him into her embrace.

_Good lord, what is it with all the hugging today?_ Shadow thought. He gave her two stiff pats on the back before they broke apart.

"How did you ever survive?" Rouge asked before Sonic could stop her.

Shadow opened his mouth to answer but just then looked over Rouge's shoulder and spotted Tikal. His heart pounded and his mouth snapped shut. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tikal seemed to have the same reaction. She side-stepped past Rouge, staring at him.

A lump rose in Shadow's throat, "Tikal?"

"Shadow?"

Rouge's hand shot up between them and waved in front of their faces.

"Um, hello?" she said, "Do you two know each other?"

The two didn't answer. They just stood there, silent and still.

Rouge shot quizzical looks at Sonic and Tails but they just shrugged back. Apparently they were unaware of this relationship also.

Rouge knew better than to ask more about it and picked up her bag from the ground and walked around the back of the van to pack up her stuff.

She had just stacked her luggage into the trunk when she heard footsteps on the pavement from behind her.

"What the HELL are you doing here?"

Rouge spun around to face the owner the voice. There stood Knuckles the Echidna, looking rather winded like he had been running around in a frenzy. In one hand, he carried a medium sized bag that looked over-packed. The rim of a pair of Hanes boxers were poking out and Rouge pretended she didn't see but she had to stifle a giggle.

"What?" Knuckles demanded.

"You haven't changed a bit, Knucklehead." She said smugly.

"Yeah, I could say the same for you,"

This was turning out to be more awkward then Rouge anticipated.

"So, how's the rock been?" she asked.

Knuckles shuffled by her to toss his bag into the back, "If by rock you mean the Master Emerald then it's just fine. Still intact and all. And," he added, "I'd prefer to keep it that way."

Rouge rolled her eyes and waved her hand, "Don't worry about it, handsome. I'm outta the business, remember?"

"One can never be so sure." Knuckles muttered.

"You can with me. I'm out for something more valuable then your dumb emerald."

Knuckles crossed his arms across his chest, "Oh really? Is it something that actually belongs to you and not someone else?"

Rouge kept her cool, "I can't help taking other people's stuff especially if the caretaker of the item is lazy and can't keep their emerald from shattering every two seconds."

His fingers curled up into a tight fist. They had fought before and he wasn't afraid to hit her, because he knew she would hit back just as hard. But then he stopped as he noticed her smug expression. This is what she wanted, to get a rise out of him. So he let his fingers loosen and didn't give her any satisfaction.

"I highly resent that comment, batgirl." He said coolly gaining some control with his temper.

"Well, here's a newsflash, Knuckles. I resent you."

"Good," he scoffed, "The feeling is mutual then."

Rouge couldn't help but feel a slight tug at her insides when she heard those words and was at a loss of words. She was actually glad when Sonic came around the back.

"Hey!" he said, "I thought I heard voices back here!"

He looked at Knuckles, shocked, as indicated by his raised eyebrows, "You came. What changed your mind?"

Knuckles turned his attention away from Rouge, "The Chaotix insisted," he lied. He never would admit to Sonic he made this decision on his own, "They told me they had the Master Emerald in their hands and they would watch over it. They nearly had to push me here."

"Well, whatever. The good thing is you're actually here and not there on that island all alone, right?"

"Sure," Knuckles replied averting his eyes, "Whatever you say."

Sonic led Knuckles around the front of the van to greet Shadow and stutter like an idiot to realize that the hedgehog was actually alive, not dead. Soon, everyone got talking and chatting casually while they waited for Vanilla, Cream's mother, to arrive to drop off Cream and her baggage.

When the rabbits finally pulled up, Sonic and Tails helped Vanilla get the bags out of the trunk of their car and put it in the back of the van.

Shadow and Tikal hadn't exchanged any more words but snuck looks at one another every so often.

Once the Chevy Astro was loaded up, everyone boarded into the van. Sonic hopped in behind the steering wheel with Tails next to him in the passengers seat. Amy, Cream, and Tikal filled the first row of seats. Shadow, Knuckles and Rouge filled the second.

Everyone groaned and wiggled around at first trying to make some room but then it soon became apparent that it was a snug fit.

This was especially uncomfortable in the back between Knuckles and Rouge who were shoulder to shoulders and still not speaking to each other.

The van gave a lurch and they rolled out of the driveway and started down the road towards their destination, Lake Tomahawk, which was nearly 3 hours away.

Amy pulled out her pink iPod and she shared a headphone with Cream. They were bopping their heads along to the beat and were giggling. Tikal turned around once in awhile to chat to Rouge but kept mainly quiet, staring out the window. Shadow alternated between watching the back of Tikal's head or the window. Sonic and Tails chattered in the front about directions and preference in music over the radio.

Rouge knew that she should at least attempt to speak with Knuckles, if she ever wanted to get along with him.

"So," she said casually, "Did they force you to come too?"

Knuckles snorted, "Yeah. You?"

"Yup," she replied, "Sonic said it would be good for me."

"Huh. That's the same thing he told me."

"Well, I guess that's everyone's excuse then." she gave a light chuckle.

Knuckles only gave a small grunt before turning away again.

Rouge sighed and leaned her head against the window.

This was going to take some time.

--

_This was weak.....I know but atleast now it's done and out of the way. _

_Oh and I know this has nothing to do with the story, but I just wanted to take a moment to extend a congratulatory note __to our new president, Barack Obama. It is certainly a historic moment in the United States and I am hoping the best for President Obama. _

_R&R as always and I'll be updating soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

After three hours of non-stop driving, the Astro finally pulled into the camping grounds of Lake Tomahawk.

Lake Tomahawk is a state park and a popular tourist attraction to visitors and frequent campers. It is known mainly for its beautiful lush evergreen forests that stretched over the whole area and the actual lake was at the center of it all.

As the Sonic gang drove through, they could catch glimpses of the shimmering surface of the lake through the branches.

They passed by a service station and registered their names to the site Sonic reserved a couple weeks in advance. You could choose between staying at the lodge, in a cabin, and kicking it old school camping in tents. The latter being the option they chose.

Rouge pressed her nose against the window as they passed the great big lodge, with the bright lights and doormen in tuxedos.

She stuck out her lower lip and whimpered, "Goodbye sweet clean sanitary bathrooms, Jacuzzis, and room service."

Sonic heard this and looked back at her through the rearview mirror, "Nonsense. We're doing this camping trip the traditional way."

Rouge wrinkled her nose, "It's traditional to look and feel like shit?"

"Yup,"

"Fan-_freakin_-tastic,"

"Come on," Sonic said, "We're not even there and you're already complaining. For all we know, we could have the best and cleanest site in the grounds. Now, does anyone see spot #27?"

"I do," Shadow said, "Its right here on the left."

Sonic suddenly hit the brake which sent everyone lurching against their seat belts, except Knuckles who went hurtling towards the back of the seats and slammed into them. All heads in front of him whirled around in surprise. Rouge and Shadow stifled their laughter behind their hands.

"Knuckles! Buckle up!" Amy said looking at Cream, "Set an example."

Knuckles grumbled and sat up, rubbing his forehead, "It's so freaking tight back here that couldn't find the seatbelt. Besides," he growled, glaring at Sonic, "No one slams on the brakes like that unless they intend to give people a whiplash."

Sonic ignored him and made a sharp left into the site then cut the engine. Everyone unbuckled and hopped outside.

The campsite was a round dirt covered area with a firepit that was littered with ashes and beer cans left over from the last group. Pine needles were scattered everywhere. Gnats buzzed around their faces and the smell of sweet campfire smoke met their noses. Surrounding all around them were other tents and groups of family and friends.

A small family of Crocs was gathered around a picnic table, kids were playing kickball in the streets, and two bikini-clad college girls were walking down to the lake which was just a short distance away.

Sonic clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "Alright, let's start setting up."

The guys all walked over to the van and helped get all the bags from the trunk. The girls helped by separately which suitcase belonged to whom.

Rouge scooted over closer to Tikal. The whole thing between her and Shadow still was on Rouge's mind and she was dying to find out how they knew each other.

"So, Tikal," she said casually, "I couldn't help but notice that you and a certain someone know each other. Care to explain?"

Tikal tossed her long dreadlocks over her shoulders and pretended to look innocent, "Um…what do you mean?"

"Girl, don't mess with me. I saw you two and I've never seen Shadow act that way before. So spill."

"Oh, you were talking about Shadow."

Rouge sighed, "Who else would I be talking about?"

Her sentence was suddenly cut off when the guys finished and walked over to the girls. Tikal noticed Shadow within earshot and shook her head at Rouge as if to tell her to stop talking about the topic at once.

Knuckles folded his arms and looked around, "How exactly are we doing this thing Sonic?"

Sonic picked up a tent bag and tossed one to Knuckles, "Well, there's eight of us and four tents. Do the math. It'll be two people to a tent."

Amy squealed and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I call being tent partners with Sonic!"

Sonic peeled away from her grasp, "Oh yeah," he said, "I forgot to mention that it's not co-ed."

"Geez, what is this? Church camp?" Rouge scoffed.

"No, I figured it would just make it more comfortable for everyone." Sonic insisted, making a slight gesture at Cream.

Everyone mumbled in agreement and stalked off to pair up. Sonic and Tails grabbed one of the tent bags and carried it to a free spot. Amy and Cream also paired up. The only four left were Shadow and Knuckles, Tikal and Rouge who all just shrugged at each other and matched up.

Each duo started setting up their tents. Sonic and Tails worked fast. Tails used his brains to read directions and instruct while Sonic used his speed to set up the tent. Amy hooked her iPod up to portable speakers (battery powered) and they were blasting bouncing bubblegum pop music while they put up their tent.

Tikal and Rouge were sitting down on a boulder, examining the directions sheet together. Neither of the girls had ever built a tent before.

"You know," Rouge said finally, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at right now."

"I think it's supposed to be a tent," Tikal said.

She turned the paper and both girls tilted their heads looking at it.

Finally Tikal tossed it aside, "Nope, it just looks like a lot of freaking work."

"Let's just ask one of the guys to do it for us." Rouge suggested.

"You mean like Knuckles?"

"No way," Rouge said, "Shadow would be better."

"Definitely not,"

"Why not? You have something against Shadow?"

"You have something against Knuckles?" Tikal shot back.

_Touche_, Rouge thought.

Out loud she said, "Honestly, You really think that slow-witted echidna will do us any good?"

"Hey, watch it. That's my cousin you're talking about."

"Oh, sorry. Let me rephrase that." Rouge paused, "Do you really think that slow-witted _cousin of yours_ would do us any good?"

Tikal giggled, "Okay, fine. What makes you think Shadow would be any better at setting up a tent?"

Rouge's lips lifted into a sly smirk, "What makes you think I want him over for helping us with the tent?"

A blush crept across Tikal's muzzle, "Come on Rouge. Seriously, we gotta figure this out. The six year olds are beating us for crying out loud!"

"Amy's 16, Cream's 13, and we have more serious matters to discuss here other than bopping around to Hannah Montana's pop party bonanza."

"We do? What do we have to talk about?" Tikal asked.

Rouge rolled her eyes, "About you and Shadow, duh!"

Tikal groaned, "Oh my god, you never quit, do you?"

"Not until you tell me what happened!"

"Hey over there!" a voice called out from behind them. Both girls spun around. A tall, muscular wolf stood there watching them.

He lowered his sunglasses and looked over the frames at them, "You ladies need help setting up your tent?"

"No thanks. We got it." Tikal answered politely.

The wolf just smiled at them, "Alright then." He paused and raised his eyebrows, "I'll uh…I'll see you around?"

Rouge and Tikal exchanged looks.

"Maybe," Tikal replied slowly.

His gaze lingered a few seconds later on Rouge before he put on his sunglasses again and left.

"Creeeeepy," Tikal said making a face and picking up the directions page again.

Rouge groaned, "Great. We've been here for less than 10 minutes and I'm already getting stares from freaks."

"Whatever. Stop boasting."

"Sorry, I can't help it."

They fell silent again and went back to work. They managed to accomplish getting the base of the tent finished before they both slumped onto the boulder again to take a rest.

Tikal couldn't resist looking over at Shadow as they caught their breath. He and Knuckles seemed to be in the same struggle with the tent, but they were picking up on it a lot faster. Tikal watched Shadow's muscular backside flex under his tee-shirt and her heart started to race.

_He still looks the same way he used to, _she thought, _it's been such a long time. I wonder if he remembers everything….I wonder if he still thinks about me like I think about him._

"Earth to Tikal!!! Hello?" Rouge said, waving her hand in front of her face.

Tikal jumped, "Oh um…yeah. Sorry, I was just-".

"I know what you were doing and I think we need to talk. Now."

"Not here. He'll hear us. I'll tell you later…tonight."

Rouge rolled her eyes, "Yeah right. At this rate, we won't have our tent up until the last night of this stupid trip."

Tikal thought it over. It would be nice to finally have someone to talk to. Plus, Rouge knew Shadow and maybe she could offer some advice about him. Only problem with Rouge was she tended to be a little untrustworthy and she was a little too nosy.

Rouge stood up and held out a hand to Tikal, "Come on. Let's go check out the lake, and then we can talk."

Tikal looked at the unfinished tent frame, "But what about..?"

Rouge shook her head, "Forget about it. I can't wait any longer to hear about this."

"Okay," Tikal said reluctantly, "But I'm warning you, it's a long one."

"No problem, chica," Rouge said, smiling. "I'm all ears."

* * *

"So, what you're saying is basically you're the whole reason why Shadow is alive." Rouge said.

Tikal shrugged and dragged her bare feet in the water, "I dunno. I guess you could say that…"

The two girls had taken a walk through the woods and finally reached the stretch of glimmering sand that was the beach of Lake Tomahawk. The greenish blue water lapped up against the shore. The beach was full of sunbathing college kids and older senior citizens lying underneath large umbrellas. Two dogs were tossing a Frisbee between each other. A family of rabbits was having a picnic. A little down the ways from the beach area was a large wooden dock that extended into the lake. That is where Tikal and Rouge chose to have their little heart-to-heart.

Rouge took a long hard look at her new friend. Besides the whole deal with her and Shadow, Tikal seemed pretty mysterious. She kept quiet most of the time and she never really answered questions fully. But now, as she was opening up to Rouge there on that dock, it seemed like everything was pouring out of her mouth from her mind. She had no other choice but to finally tell Rouge and once she started, she found that it got harder to stop.

She told Rouge how she first sensed something else was on her island, Angel Island. She found that Shadow was the source of this because of the left over emeralds' power could still be detected on him.

Tikal sighed and continued on. "He was very weak. He couldn't remember anything, not even his own name. All of his memory was kaput."

Rouge nodded and indicated for Tikal to go on.

"It was hard at first. He was scared of me and confused all of the time. He got frustrated very quickly when I was trying to help him remember things. Soon, he came to remember his name and when he told me I knew immediately who he was. I nursed him back to health and counseled him every day until we really created this strong bond between us."

Rouge grinned, "Yeah…and then what?"

The corner of Tikal's lips lifted into a small embarrassed smile, "Then, I guess you could say we fell in love."

Rouge kicked up some water when she heard that, "You gotta be kidding me. Your name isn't Maria and Shadow actually loves you? That's crazy."

Tikal's smile vanished, "Well, it's more like "loved"."

"What do you mean?"

"Things didn't exactly end well between us. Shadow was longing to find the answers about his past that I couldn't answer. He wanted to go find them but I begged him to stay with me and just start over with a new life. But then, he got mad because he thought I didn't care about him. Then I got mad because I couldn't understand why he would say such a thing to me, especially after all I had done for him. It turned into a great big blowout and the next morning when I woke up," Tikal paused and turned her head away before she whispered, "he had gone."

A few silent moments passed between the two as Rouge took it all in. She felt sorry for the poor girl and she could tell that Tikal was not over their relationship at all and Rouge could bet a million dollars that Shadow wasn't over it either. Something had to be done about this.

Tikal sniffed and finally glanced over at Rouge, "So, are you happy now?" she asked with a weak grin.

Rouge curled her arm around Tikal's shoulder and gave her a one-armed hug, "Definitely," she said, "Didn't that feel good to get off your chest?"

"I guess. Thanks for listening."

"Hey…thank _you_."

Tikal raised an eyebrow, "For what? Finally telling you?"

"No," Rouge said quietly, "For saving Shadow."

--

_ugh...*cringes* that chapter was awful. Thank goodness this was the last of the icky "introductory" chapters. And the next chapter is where all the action starts to happen. YAY! _

_Well, I would write more but I gotta go. I have a interview for a job today and I'm super nervous. Eek! Wish me luck!_

_R&R as always!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Rouge and Tikal returned to the campsite, barefoot with their shoes in their hands. Three tents were standing proudly and Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream were sitting at the picnic table, tuna sandwiches in hand and a jumbo bag of potato chips lying in the middle of the table.

"Hey!" Sonic said when he saw them walking up, "Where have you guys been?"

"Down at the lake," Tikal replied, smiling at Rouge. "It's beautiful down there."

"You didn't finish your tent," Tails said.

"Yeah, well, we were gonna do that right now," Rouge muttered. She looked around. "Where's Shadow and Knuckles? I see their tent is done."

Sonic rolled his eyes and took a bite out of his sandwich, "Knucklehead is meditating or something and Shadow said he wasn't hungry so actually I'm not sure where he is."

"Sugar muffin…" Amy whined, "When are we gonna go see the lake? It's almost sunset."

Hearing that comment made Rouge suddenly grab Tikal's forearm, "Oh crap, we gotta go finish our tent now. There's no way in hell I'm sleeping at night without it."

The two went back to the place they left the remains of their tent. Rouge read the directions while Tikal gathered the parts.

"Do we have all the stakes?" Rouge said going down the list.

"Yup,"

"What about the smaller poles?"

Tikal looked around and frowned, "Uh no, I don't see those."

"Are these what you're looking for?" a voice said behind her.

She spun around and gasped.

Shadow stood behind her holding the skinny gray poles.

Tikal reached for them with a shaky hand, "Y-Yes. Thanks, I guess." Then the silent spell fell over them again and they both looked at the ground nervously.

Rouge looked up from the directions page and opened her mouth to say something but then it snapped shut once she saw the two.

_Those two nitwits, _she thought, _they definitely still have it for each other. Maybe I could get someone else to help me with the tent so these two can have some alone time._

"Hey Tikal," she said. Both Tikal and Shadow looked up relieved someone finally broke the awkward silence. "Why don't you and Shadow go talk? I can find someone to help me out."

Tikal's cheeks flushed bright pink, "Its okay Rouge, I'll help you. We can talk later, right Shadow?"

"No, no. I insist." Rouge said, "Go." Tikal gave her a hard stare that read, "_Why are you doing this to me?_" Rouge shot an even sterner look back at the echidna, "_It's for your own good. Go._"

Tikal crossed her eyes at Rouge, but then smiled shyly at Shadow. "I guess we can discuss things now. Come on."

The two walked away, strategically leaving some distance between them. Rouge watched them go and chuckled to herself.

Once they were gone, she turned back to the unfinished tent. The sun had crept closer to the horizon. She sighed.

_Now,_ she thought, _where is that Knucklehead?_

* * *

Tikal and Shadow strolled along in silence. They had found another path that led into the woods. Shadow walked, hands deep in his jean pockets and staring down at the ground. Tikal walked next to him, rigid.

_Saysomething, saysomething, saysomething. _Tikal was freaking out internally. If Rouge were here, she'd be slapping her silly.

Tikal swallowed her pride and took a chance, "so I hear you work for GUN now…" she said casually. _Brilliant!_ Rouge would be proud that she thought of that all on her own.

"Yeah, I guess it's kinda ironic. Since I was a bad guy and all." Shadow replied in the same gruff voice Tikal remembered had once told her 'I love you'. Her eyes welt up with tears.

"You were never a bad guy Shadow," she said quietly, "Atleast, not in my eyes."

They stopped and faced each other.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

Tikal shook her head and looked away, "I don't know. It's just….It's been so long."

Shadow touched her chin and brought her face back towards his. He used his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes, "Tikal…..I'm not mad anymore."

No answer.

"I've been thinking of you everyday we've been apart."

"I know."

"You know that's all in the past, right?"

Tikal frowned and took his hand. "It still hurts. You never came back. I thought maybe you would since I thought you loved me."

"I do. Don't you believe me?"

"I did the first time you told me and then you left me."

"I thought you understood Tikal."

"I don't know. Maybe I don't."

Shadow burrowed his eyebrows and sighed deeply.

"So now what?" Tikal asked folding an arm over her stomach, the other still holding onto Shadow .

"Let me prove it to you." he said. He leaned over and went to give her a kiss on the lips but she turned her head and his lips grazed across her cheek instead.

"We'll see," she whispered.

He pulled away, half embarrassed, half frustrated. Oh yes, how could he forget this side of Tikal? She was related to Knuckles which meant she was stubborn as hell. Shadow was determined to win her trust back but he knew it was going to be a haul.

But Tikal also was merciful, which was something he was grateful for. She started walking again, tugging him along.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I think we should go see the lake," she said. "especially at sunset. It should be absolutely gorgeous."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the campsite, Rouge had found Knuckles and asked him to help.

His eyes grew big and he shook his head sending his long red dreadlocks flying in all directions.

"No, no, no, no. No way in hell batgirl."

Rouge groaned and rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, be a gentleman for like two seconds and help me with the dumb tent. Then you can go back to being your crummy ole self."

Knuckles just laughed at her and walked away. She pursed her lips and followed after him with pounding footsteps. She would not be made into a fool especially by him.

"Okay…"she said through clenched teeth, "Why won't you help me? Got something better to do?"

"Maybe I do. Besides, I have a headache from figuring out how to put up the first tent and honestly, I'm not in the mood to put up with you."

"Normally I would say the same thing but I really don't feel like sleeping in the dirt tonight."

"So what? That's your problem not mine."

Rouge frowned, "You're an asshole."

"Thank you."

Rouge growled under her breath and stopped trying to keep up with him. He kept on walking towards he and Shadow's tent. Suddenly, she got an idea.

"What if I promised never to visit Angel Island ever again and stop coming after the Master Emerald?" she yelled after him.

As expected, that stopped him right in his tracks.

--

They were actually working together and making great progress. The tent was nearly done and the sun had just started to disappear behind the hills. Knuckles seemed to be a little nicer since the chances of never having to see Rouge on his island again was on the line. They worked in silence, tense that an argument would break out, which always seemed to happen when they tried talking to each other.

Once they were finished, they sat back just looking at the tent, tired and catching their breath.

"So….what do you think of this whole thing with Tikal and Shadow?" Rouge asked, forgetting the no-talking rule.

Knuckles didn't look at her, "I dunno. It's pretty weird."

"I didn't know Tikal was your cousin."

"I thought everyone knew that."

Rouge glanced over at him and winked, "I'm not like everyone Knucklehead."

"Yeah I know. I don't think I've ever met anyone as annoyingly persistent as you."

She shrugged, "I know what I want."

He closed his eyes and leaned back on his palms, "So, what are you after now since you're "supposedly" done with the master emerald."

This question stumped Rouge. She didn't really know what she wanted now the master emerald was out of the question. It was the only jewel that she ever gave up on and the guardian who was just as stubborn and crazy about it as she was, was the reason for that.

She couldn't help but admire his strong dedication to that emerald. Other than that she didn't knew exactly what her opinion of the echidna was. For one, she despised the fact she lost a serious prize because of him. Plus, she was in his debt and if there was one thing Rouge hated most was owing someone her life.

He was her hero, whether she liked it or not. She'd never been so confused about any male before and this is precisely what attracted her to Knuckles: curiosity.

It didn't help that every once in awhile while they were working that she got a glance of his muscles poking out from under his shirt. Her heart would start racing and she felt her cheeks get warm.

She answered his question with the broadest answer she could think of, "Oh, you know, the same ole, same ole."

* * *

That night, while Tikal had fallen right asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Rouge was having a bad episode of insomnia. All thanks to her extremely sensitive bat ears. Living the life as a spy, Rouge had trained herself to have super senses while on the job since she worked a lot a night. Her eyes couldn't aid her at night but her ears and nose could. Every sound in close proximity to the campsite, Rouge could hear. She tried, at times, to lay completely still in her sleeping bag and listen to nothing but silence and Tikal's light breathing. She would find herself on the verge of sleep, but then suddenly a twig would snap or an owl would hoot outside and she was jolted awake. After the seventh time that happened, she finally just gave up.

Groaning, she grabbed a flashlight, jacket, and slipped her feet into her shoes. She quietly unzipped the flap of the tent entrance and crawled out. No noises were coming from Knuckles and Shadow's tent or Amy and Cream's tent. Rouge could hear Sonic and Tails' voices coming from the firepit. They were talking about gathering firewood.

She crept around the back of the tents and found her way to the path in the woods she and Tikal had found earlier that day. Even though it was midnight, Rouge didn't use the flashlight. She wasn't afraid and the glow of the moon led her way down the path.

About five minutes later, she came to the break in the trees and reached the beach. She walked over to the dock and closed her eyes, breathing in the woodsy smells around her. The temperature was still in the low 70's, high 60's. The wind was blowing lightly, but at that moment she thought that it could carry her along into the night.

Slowly, she dropped the flashlight and made a pile with her jacket and shoes. She reached up and took off her shirt and sweatpants.

Another gust of wind blew through but she wasn't cold at all. Quickly, her eyes darted in all directions making sure she was in no danger of being seen by any late night creeps, especially that wolf. When she saw the coast was clear, she reached up and unclasped her bra, then bent down and peeled her panties off.

She approached the water and dipped a toe as a test run. The water was as warm as bathwater. Rouge stood back and in one swift movement, jumped in.

She felt like a little kid again as she splashed around in the water. She ducked her head under and swam underwater. She resurfaced and laid on her back, just staring up at the moon and stars.

She heard a rattling noise coming from the bushes, but thought nothing of it at first. What finally captured her attention were the footsteps that followed the rattling and the fact that they sounded like they were getting closer.

Her thoughts were abruptly confirmed when she heard someone say, "Rouge?!"

She turned around and saw none other than the figure of Knuckles the Echidna standing under the light of the moon.

--

_Wow. I can't believe I'm already on chapter 4.....strange. Anyways, I know that Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream haven't been featured in this story much but they will be, I promise. _

_R&R as always! _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Rouge screamed so loud, it echoed off every hill and tree in the forests and across the lake. Knuckles stumbled backwards from the force of her scream. Immediately the bat sank lower into the water so it only came up to her chin.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded angrily.

"I had no idea you were….I was only-" he stuttered trying to regain his balance.

"You were spying on me, weren't you?" she spat, "Pervert!"

"What? No," he said, his face turning redder. He held up something that was clutched in his hand, "I was just trying to get some cell service."

Rouge didn't buy it. "Like hell you are. Geez, that's the weakest excuse in the world. Everyone knows there's no coverage out here."

Knuckles' shoulders sagged, "There isn't?"

Rouge swam over to the dock and held on with one hand. Every body part below the shoulders was hidden, all thanks to the black darkness of the water at night.

"Well, duh. Its obvious." she said, "There are trees everywhere and no cell tower for miles."

Knuckles growled, "Damnit. I'm not familiar with these sorts of things at all. This isn't even my phone. It's Vector's. He gave it to me so I could check up on them while they were watching the Master Emerald."

"Oh, I get it." Rouge said smirking, "The worried mother is checking up with the babysitters."

Knuckles rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure." He punched in some numbers then waited to see if it would work, but Rouge knew it didn't when Knuckles swore again.

"I'm telling ya, Knucklebrain. It's useless."

Grumbling and knowing she was right, he pocketed the cell phone.

"So what are you doing out here? Don't you know it's almost midnight?" he asked.

She shrugged and looked up at the night sky, "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh," Knuckles just nodded. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

The two just sat there for awhile before he started to go. "Well, as fun as this is, I think I'm going to head back then…" he said.

"Fine," she replied.

Suddenly she heard a loud thump. Knuckles had tripped over the pile of her clothes.

"What the heck is all this?" he bent over to pick it up.

Before Rouge could say anything, she saw the horrible sight of Knuckles holding up her bra. He yelled and flung it from his fingers as fast as he could.

"Please tell me you're wearing a bathing suit."

Rouge grinned, showing her two pointy bat teeth, "What do ya think, Knucklehead?"

"I think that I'm going to head back now and sleep."

"Aw, come on Knuckles. It's not like you saw anything anyways. No need to be embarrassed!"

Knuckles didn't respond. He just turned around and began to walk away.

"You know," he heard her say from behind, "I would really like some company out here."

No noise except the crickets chirping.

"I think you should try it." she tried again.

"No. Way." he said firmly.

"I promise to look away."

"No."

This was getting fun. Knuckles was so focused on not acting embarrassed or flustered and this amused Rouge greatly. He was putty in her hands now.

Rouge turned on her flirty charm, "The water feels really great, Knuxie."

"Don't care."

She pouted and pushed away from the dock. She disappeared underneath the water then came up again. Her white fur glistened in the moon light. Knuckles snuck a peek over his shoulder, but when he saw her looking at him, he turned away again. Rouge just stared at him with a sassy smirk on her face.

"What's the matter? You chicken?"

"No, just not as stupid as you," Knuckles shot back, "Who goes swimming naked at night anyways?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Everybody, you idiot. You don't go skinning dipping during the day."

Knuckles sighed. He actually was dying to take a swim. After checking up on the Chaotix, he was planning to jump in for awhile, the possibility of Rouge being there never crossed his mind.

"I," said Rouge, "Think you are just a coward."

"No, I'm not." He said in his usual stubborn fashion.

"Then prove it."

She dunked her head under the water and when she came back up, two shoes dropped in front her face and landed on the deck with two solid thuds. She looked up in time to see Knuckles tugging his tee-shirt off over his head and tossing in on top of the shoes. Rouge felt her heart skip at the sight of his muscular bare upper body. From his biceps, to his chest, and abs, Rouge couldn't believe how ripped he was. Maybe every guy should try sitting on his ass all day on an altar.

Knuckles didn't allow her much gazing time and he dived into the water. When his head bobbed up to the surface, he coughed up water and slicked his dreadlocks back.

"So," he gasped, "Who's the chicken now?"

She shook her head, "Still you. Skinny dipping means you have absolutely no clothes on."

"Meaning?"

"Lose the boxers, handsome."

As she said that, Knuckles face flushed a deep red.

"I mean, it's only fair." She said.

Knuckles snorted, "The boxers stay. If you have a problem with that, just go get your underwear."

"Nice try, perv, but I'm not climbing out of here naked. The boxers go."

"Rouge…"

"Bwack," Rouge clucked softly, flapping her arms in the water, sending splashes everywhere.

Knuckles growled under his breath and reached underwater, where Rouge couldn't see his arms. Then, surprisingly, she saw him lift his Hanes boxers out from under and fling them up on the deck.

Rouge was temporarily shocked, but hid it with a smirk.

"Crap," Knuckles said.

"Ew, Knuckles. You sicko. You just got in."

"Shut up. What I meant was, "crap, what about when it's time to get out?"

Rouge was quiet. He had a point. "….you couldn't think of that before you threw your boxers on the deck?"

"I don't even wanna hear it from you."

Rouge just sighed, "Whatever. We'll worry about it when the time comes." And that was that. She started to swim around again, while Knuckles floated in one spot, feeling awkward.

"Are there fish out here?" he asked.

"Probably, why?"

"What would happen if they were to see a body part that looks like a worm?"

Rouge burst out in a sudden fit of laughter, "You…." she said between gasps of air, "did not just say that."

Knuckles cheeks started to burn, "What? I was talking about my toes!"

She wiped tears from her eyes. "Sure, you were," she giggled, "God, you're such a creeper." As she said this, she sent a wave of water right at his face.

Knuckles spatted water from his mouth and sent one right back. This went back and forth for awhile as the two splashed around like two little kids in a kiddie pool. A couple times when Rouge could see Knuckles, she saw him actually smiling. Knuckles, on the other hand, was careful not to get close enough to her, so he wouldn't touch any part of her body. She already thought he was some sort of pervert, but no matter how hard he tried to keep a distance, she kept swimming closer.

"Wait," Rouge said suddenly, putting a hand up, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"The sound of footsteps."

"No, I can't hear anything over your girly screams."

She flicked him on the ear, "Will you just be quiet? I wanna see if I can hear it again."

Kncukles rolled his eyes, but did as she said. He let all his muscles tense up to stop from making sound. After he did that, a heavy peaceful quiet hushed over the lake. The crystal luminescence of the moon shimmered in the water like shards of broken glass. The mountains and hills, covered with lush evergreen, were misted with silver clouds around the peaks. Strangely, he thought, no night on Angel Island alone could compare to the beautiful scenery of the one he was spending with Rouge, his most hated enemy.

What strange irony.

Remembering the bat, he noticed how close she was to him. But she wasn't paying any attention to him. Her emerald eyes were shimmering as she looked around taking in the sights. When she did realize him looking at her, she frowned and snapped to attention.

"What?" she snapped.

"What what?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she demanded.

"I'm not doing anything. I was just keeping quiet like you told me to."

"Well, I can't pay attention with you staring at me with googly eyes."

"They're not googly," he retorted, "And how do you expect to hear anything if you keep yapping at me every two seconds?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you would stop doing or saying things that would make me bitch at you!" she said, her voice growing shriller.

"You bitch at everything I do!"

"Stop being such a creeper then!"

"When you stop being a bitch!" he yelled.

They had an intense staredown, their shouts echoing and carrying across the lake then eventually, with the last echoing "bitch", faded into the dark air. Both glared at each other without saying a word, before Rouge finally heard what she had heard before: footsteps combined with their owners' voices: Sonic and Tails.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like Knucklehead," Sonic said.

Knuckles tensed up and looked over at Rouge, whose ears were perked, picking up every sound.

"It sounded like it came from the lake." Tails said.

"Come on, I think it's right through here."

Knuckles felt his stomach drop to his butt and he wished at once he could disappear. Being naked in a lake, swimming at midnight with Rouge the bat, was one of the last things on earth that he wanted to be seen doing. Especially by Sonic.

But it was too late, Sonic and Tails came through the bushes and stepped onto the dock, spotting Knuckles first. Rouge was slightly hidden behind the deck and she was trying to be as immobile as possible.

"Hey!" Sonic called out to him, "We thought we heard your voice!"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Knuckles growled.

"Funny, I should ask you the same question. We're out here collecting wood," Sonic said moving closer to the edge, then he saw Rouge.

"What the-?" he spat, "Rouge?!

Rouge just lifted a hand and waved stiffly. Sonic bit his lower lip in attempt to stop from laughing.

"Should I even ask?" he said.

"No, absolutely not," Knuckles growled, "I was just getting out anyways." Then he realized he was still buck naked. He sat there floating for a moment.

"What's wrong? Snapping turtle got you?" Sonic asked.

Rouge started to giggle, when she understood Knuckles' dilemma, "Yeah Knuxie, what's wrong?" she asked mockingly.

Sonic's nose curled, "Knuxie? Is that a new pet name or something?"

"Sonic," Tails said, "I think I'm tangled up in some vine."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked turning back to the fox. Behind his back, Knuckles shot Rouge a death glare, and Rouge scowled back.

Sonic bent down to look at what was around the fox's ankles, "I don't think that's vine, Tails. It's…" then he stopped midsentence and looked up at Knuckles, shaking his head and Knuckles knew at once that Sonic knew.

"Oh this is rich." Sonic said with a chuckle.

"What is it?" Tails asked, but Sonic hid them from his view. He turned back to Knuckles.

"Um, Knuckles? Did you happen to loose something?"

"Say another word, hedgehog, and I'll break your face."

Sonic just laughed and held up Knuckles' boxers with two fingers, "How much are you willing to pay to get these back?"

"Sonic, I'm serious. It's too late to do this shit."

"Fine," Sonic sighed, "but just know Knuckles, I won't be forgetting this any time soon, because this is too damn funny."

He tossed the boxers to Knuckles who caught them and hastily put them on underwater. Afterwards, he climbed out and threw Rouge's underwear out to her.

Sonic walked up next to Knuckles and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"So, Knuxie," he drawled in a mocking tone, "how'd the water feel?"

"I dunno, Sonic, you tell me."

Using only one arm, he shoved Sonic, who backpedaled right off the dock and hit the water with a loud smack.

Both Rouge and Tails gasped, but Rouge's gasp was followed with laughter.

"Knuckles!" Tails cried, "You know Sonic hates water!"

Knuckles bent over to grab his clothes and then as he passed by Tails, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Exactly," he said with a smirk, then he left through the woods alone, leaving the scene and Rouge behind him.

--

_Okay, everyone...please bear with me and my poor writing right now. I'm so freaking rusty, it's pathetic. I haven't written in a long time, but I thought that I should update before this story completely falls off the map. Anyways, I'd like to hear your opinons on this chapter and I'll be updating again soon! _


End file.
